Improvement in grain-driers



P. HUNT.

Grain-Briers.

N0.I48,886 Patented March 24,1874.-

PARDON B. HUNT, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-DRIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 148,886, datedMarch 24,1874; application filed January 10, 1874. l

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PARDON B. HUNT, of Council Bluffs, in the county ofPottawattomie and State of Iowa, have invented a new and ImprovedApparatus for Drying and Steaming Grain, of which the following is aspecification:

The invention will first be fully described, and then pointed out in theclaim.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a planview with some parts in section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the grain-passage, which, in this example, is of annularform, being formed between a central circular chamber, B B, and an outerone, C O. Above the passage is a l|opper,D, from which the wheat flowsinto said passage. E is a steam-pipe leading from the boiler intocompartments B and O. F is a branch pipe for conducting some of thesteam from pipe E into compartments B and C. G is a passage for steamfrom compartment B into C; the latter has an escapepipe, H, forcondensed steam. I is a passage for steam from compartment B into C,which has an escapepipe, J, for condensed steam. K is the escape-passagefor the wheat. The walls L and M are perforated, so that the steam maypass from compartments B and G into the grain, for steaming it as itdescends in its passage. Below these perforations the grain is subjectedto the hot walls of its passage, to have the surface moisture dried offafter it has been sufficiently moistened to toughen it.

If the apparatus is to be used for drying grain which is too damp forgrinding or storing, and does not require steaming, the steam will beshut off from the upper compartments.

It will be noticed that the grain-passage widens downwardly to afford agreater space for the grain as it swells by the effect of the steam.This I consider important for such steaming apparatus, and I propose toemploy such form whether the passage be annular, as herein described, orotherwise.

I am aware that grain-driers with steamin chambers having perforatedwalls, with drying-chambers having closed walls, and with a series ofpipes are not new; and I am also aware that driers with conical orfunnel shaped grainpassages are well known to the public; but I believethat it is new to arrange two cylinders so as to form a grain-passage inthe shape of an inverted cone or funnel, and so that the grain-passagewill enlarge as the grain swells, and the passage thus continuethroughout to preserve the same relative magnitude to the volume ofgrain.

Having thus described m y invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patcut-- The combination, with two steam-cylinders, onesurrounding the other, of an intermediate grain-passage, A, receivingsteam near the top,

and diverging toward the bottom, as and for the purpose described.

PARDON B. HUNT. Witnesses:

J OHN SrUBBs, XV. H. TUTTLE.

